Horns blared, the lights dimmed and a loud boom was heard all throughout the station. Evacuation procedures ran through every resident of Deep Space Nines head. Smoke began to fill multiple corridors and then another loud boom. Keiko O'Brian was in the promenade visiting the little unique shops and stands the station had to offer. Meanwhile in her quarters, Molly O'Brian began to cry from the sound of the loud booms. Jake went over to her. "Don't worry about that Molly my Dad and your daddy are up on deck now fixing whatever is wrong," but those blasts sounded like they came from the exterior of the station. "Lets wait here for your Mom she's only shopping a few minutes away." Herioshi the baby began to cry. Molly went over to his crib. "No crying Yoshi its an esplosion" "Your are a good big sister he told her" By the time the seconded bang had sounded Keiko had already been running to her quarters the lights had dimmed and only the emergency lights were on by the time she was half way there. "All crewmen to stations," the voice over the loudspeaker commanded. Keiko was nearly to her quarters, what at first she perceived as an explosion from the interior now seemed to be coming from the exterior of the station. Regardless, she had started heading home immediately after hearing the sound.
Back in the O'Brian's quarters, Jake picked up Herioshi and sat Molly on the couch. He knew Keiko would be headed up soon. Now running through the halls, Keiko was nearly there when another shock went through the station. Armed crewmen ran past her in a line nearly knocking her over. Beside her face, a panel burst off and a cloud of steam surrounded her making it more difficult to see in the dim red emergency lights. A security officer stood around the bend ordering people to their quarters. No evacuation order had been given yet. Inside the room, Jake looked out the window holding Herioshi. He knew the blasts had first come from in then outside. He saw no ships nothing on his side of the station at least, of course, Jake knew since the station was in constant rotating orbit he was not facing the wormhole. The lights in the room went dim. The door had automatically locked. Another crash hit the station. "Keiko must be unable to get here," he thought. Herioshi started to cry again and Molly looked as if she would too. Jake considered the possibility of an evacuation order, if it came to that. "I want mama," Molly said. "She is probably still on her way up." Jake lied.
Meanwhile in the hall Keiko blocked by the burst panel stood trapped by the possibly hot or toxic steam "my children," she thought and closed her eyes then twirled through the steam. She came up to her door. The commotion in the hall was endless, guards running past her, men ordering wonders indoors. The door was locked. Crash. Another hit this one extremely hard.
Inside the room the dimmed emergency lights flickered. Zap zap the power hummed off momentarily. Suddenly with Molly on the couch and Herioshi on the floor beside Jake looking for signs of Keiko but unable to open the door. A shelf by the window began to tip over. Jake looking out the window glanced over to see the baby underneath it. "Yoshi!" he reached over to pull him away when the power cut out. He did pull yoshi away in time but the power failure cut out the force field that had been the window. The momentary force sucked the air and everything in the room closer to the hole, including Jakes head. The two-second force had bashed his head against the wall. Like a vacuumed sucking in flies, he had no time to fight against it. Thump on the floor he fell like a sack of potatoes. Molly looked over in horror.
Outside, the power failure gave the lock on the door a momentarily unlock but it was not enough for Keiko to get in. The red light above had mealy blinked off for a few seconds. Keiko pounded at her door. "Jake Jake she pleaded." "Mommy!" Molly went ran to the door, looking back at Jake unconscious against her living room floor. Her baby brother sat by him. "Molly?" Keiko inquired at the sound of her daughters voice. "Get Jake, open the door" Molly looked back at her babysitter and went to him. He was on his stomic and his face was turned sideways looking tward the door. His eyes were closed and although not seen a small pool of blood began to form under his ear. By this time Herioshi was crying unstoppably. Molly crossleged on the floor beside him. "Jake its mommy." Crash. Swoosh swoosh. A hit and two torpedos sent out. "Molly?" Keiko stuck outside pleaded. It was hot in the hall she wondered why they hadn't been ordered to evacuate unless there was a chance whoever or whatever would start shooting at innocent civilians in escape pods.
At the sound of her voice a beaken in the dim room she ran to the door. "Jake is sleeping" she said. "Sleeping?" Keiko knew children. She knew being unconscious or dead looked a lot like sleeping to a 5year old. "Can you open the door" Keiko did't ever explicitly show her daughter how to operate the door lock and with good reason but there were lots of things you don't teach a child that they learn and know how to do. Operate a replicator or ask the computer a question or find their way to holodeck. Molly has been so sheltered ever since leaving Enterprise. On Enterprise Keiko felt safe letting her even younger little girl walk off with a friend to school or the play room. On DS9 it was so busy and strangers were constantly coming and going and the only holodecks were in a bar filled almost nude domjot girls.
Molly reached up to the panel she had seen it opened when locked many times. She couldn't reach. "I can't reach mommy" she yelled though the door. Sometime in all this commotion the alarm had been scilenced all all of them were still taklking like it were on. "Get a chair from the table sweetheart," Keiko calmly commanded. The little girl hopped over to do as she was told. After climbing upon the chair she started pushing buttons on the panel.
The door slid open and Keiko grabbed her little girl. Picking her up she went over to Herioshi who had crawled over to the couch. Looking around the room she saw the unconscious Jake on the floor. Putting Molly down she went over to him and knelled down beside him. "Jake, Jake" she shook him gently then turned him onto his back. He did not grone or make any noise. "Medical emergency," she commanded the computer. Nothing indicated that her request for help had been received. She knew help would arrive but requests were probably pouring in from all over the station. "Why haven't we been ordered to evacuate?" she thought. Then she noticed it, the blasts had stopped. Kneeling beside Jake she noticed the stream of blood trickling out from under him. The pool forming under his ear was now a small stream peeking out from his head.
It was a full 7 minutes before the lights returned to normal and a full 7 ½ before her call was answered. "Are you still in need of medical assistance?" the voice chimed over the intercom. "Yes he is unconscious and has a head wound" Keiko pleaded. She did not even bother to tell who this he was, it did not matter the medical team was busy now and she knew Dr. Bashir would delegate his work as quickly as possible. "Help is on the way" the director replied.
2 minutes later and the blood streaming from his head still had not stopped. Keiko did not try to turn him over for fear of further injuring him. She had however taken the pillow cover off the pillow nearest her and neatly folded it to bandage as best she could his head. She was a teacher, a botanist not a nurse but her grandmother had taught her how to roll cloth and use it to treat a wound.
8 minutes and 40 seconds from her call, a full 12 minutes had passed from the time Jake hit his head to the doctor arriving. It was not Dr. Bashir; a Bajorian medic rushed in to the scan of Keiko on the floor holding Yoshi and behind her was Molly all around Jake and the blood. That awful pool of blood, all that was visible was a small stream that had begun to dry but the doctor knew there was more under the boy's head. The Bajorian doctor entered the room with his assistant a human woman, Starfleet. At his arrival Keiko stood. In a fast pace, he walked over to Jake, "impact trauma, blood loss and low pulse" he summarized for the assistant. She scanned him with superficial instruments. "Can we transport?" she asked. "I don't want to risk it without knowing the full damage" he responded. The human girl was just a medical technician but she knew his injuries were severe and that the amount of blood that was more than likely under the boys head out of view was extensive. The Bajorian doctor was right not to transport him, the transporter locks on to every molecule of a person and with a lot of Jakes blood outside his body now and possibly some brain, the transporter may have difficulty locking on to matter that should be in his body that is now out.
The Bajorian doctor still kneeling beside him took two fingers and gently slid them beneath the boys head. It was wet and not clotting he also felt a deep gash in his head. The doctor tapped his com. "Free a bed in hesitate, prepare for level 6 trauma patent and send a bed to my location now" his tone was calm and professional yet not absent of urgency. The Bajorian had been a doctor for many years and even had practiced during the occupation. He had treated primarily wounds, not much disease, the modern enemy but wounds he had treated plenty. All this experience told him it had been too long, the boy for some reason did not clot enough and with the blood loss and time it would take to thoroughly assess and codrise his wounds, would be too long, in all likely hood death and the Prophets awaited him.
The Bajorian doctor stood up, and looked around the room. Items that were once on the shelf now laid around the room, the fallen shelf was just by the boys head. "Did the shelf fall and hit him?" The Doctor asked Keiko, now sitting on a chair observing. "I was outside when it happened." She guiltfully said. "On the window," Molly added. "Jakes head got hit on the window when he got Yoshi away from the falling things." Molly explained this then recoiled to her mothers arms. The Doctor looked at the rim of the window, and ran the scenario in his head.
The bed arrived wheeled in by one crewman instead of the usual two or three even. "Stabilize his neck and prepare a dressing he has a bleeding wound," the Doctor ordered. Jake was lifted to the bed and wheeled out. "I will go with him" the Doctor professed, "Ensign Kovac can you handle our other rooms." "Yes Doctor" she said with the most pride and fear she could be expected of.
Jake opened his eyes and saw an odd flashing of lights like going through a tunnel. Just squinting he knew he was on the station and he knew he was moving. Jake felt no pain, but thought of Yoshi. There was no strength in him to open is mouth let alone use his voice. The lights above him kept moving. His face felt wet, but he was just so tired.
Back in her quarters. Keiko set down Molly and looked back where Jake had been. There was a pool of blood a large pool and it was wet still. Molly so small and scared looked at her mother. "Good girl, Molly opening the door and telling the doctor what happened you did a good job." Keiko smiled at her daughter. The computer was not fully operational yet and she still did not know what had happened.
The lights got bright all around him. Jake tried so hard with all his might to open his eyes or say something or move but he simply could not. He heard voices, lots of voices, lots of crying and clinking around him. He had stoped moving. "10cc porcortix" "Yes yes nevermind protocol I'm giving you permission to administer the drug" "Who? And whats gone wrong?" a voice said. This voice stood out from the rest. Jake thought hard who it was but the accent was a dead give away, Jullian Bashir. It was "He will wake me up." Jake thought.
He came over to the transport bed Jake had been on. He waved a scanning device around him. The readings stung him. It was not good. Blood loss and too much time, why had he not cloted? "Get him on a bed," Jullin ordered. He turned to see the Bajorian Doctor. "I brought the boy in, massive head trauma, not clotting, we were not quick enough." The Doctor said ever so factually yet full of sorrow. Jullian looked at him he would never give up so quickly, all the facts were right and he should but he would never, especially for Jake the son of the Captian, the man who helped him stay in Starfleat. "There are other people here who can use your help, do you mind helping them?" Jullian scorned.
Jake heard everything get quiet as he was moved to an operating room, a steril field when the lights went dim. He heard Jullian's footsteps and felt his hand on his shoulder. "Brain matter damage, and visable" Jullian recorded. "Brain matter" jake thought was his injury that bad he thought and then he felt like falling and could not stay awake, not that he was awake just he was so tired and could not even think. "Think think, listen what are you saying Dr. Bashir speak again!" Jake pleaded with himself. He did not want to sleep he wanted to know but the ability to listen to think was becoming harder and harder. It overcame him so much and finally he could not be attentive any longer. It did not slip away as some might describe it but it pulled away ,this awareness, Jake fought for was pulling pulling with all its might.
"Weve lost brain activity" the surgical assistant warned. It was the blood loss. In an instant Jullian turned arroud with a hypospray and pressed it to his neck. It hissed out. "still nothing" the assistant warned. Jullian did the same again. "Slight electrical implulses read" the assistant informed. It was the smallest victory, the impulses were so slight it was only his brain telling his heart to beat and lungs to breath there was no real cognitive ablility no thought or dream running through Jakes head. "Blood, get me blood" Jake had obviously been given artificiall blood but the station kept actual blood on hand incase of someone's objection to artificial blood. The fresh infusion of actual human type blood, he thought, might be enough might be real enough to carry the much needed oxygen to his head.
Beep beep beep the alarm on the bio bed beneath him went off, signaling loss of brain activity. His brain was not just not thinking forming images or other sensory sensations but now it had affected other systems. His heart stopped beating and lungs had stopped taking in air. "Send a pulse," Dr. Bashir ordered. The assistant moved the responders on his forehead to send the pulse deep within his brain. One zap at 200 no response then the doctor ordered another, finally a third at 300. "Activity picking up Doctor" the surgical technician announced full of hope. Bashir felt confident with the real blood and electrical stimulation he would not suffer another loss of activity.
He turned to the tools beside him. With great delicacy Jullian took the electrical fuser and ran it around the open wound that was so pronounced. A gental hum filled the room and everything else was quiet beside from the occasional order given to the technichion. It was a full 1 and 45 minutes before the Jullian was done.
Jake had felt it when he slipped into the state of non existence a sort of non thought that felt like sleep. That's when he felt the surge. A kick back to being. An electrical pulse that pushed aside the sleepyness and non thought he fell into and brought him back to awareness.
The next thing Jake felt was moving he again could see the lights move around him then go dim again. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
Benjaman Sisco hastily walked into ops, where he was held back by a two of the nurses. Captian, Dr. Bashir is not done yet, he'll be out to meet you in a minute. He gruffly exhaled and his brow stiffened, "Where is my son is Jake okay" emerged from the operating area, still wearing his surgical scrubs. The caotic noises around him flustered the Doctor. He didn't have the time or the place to take a breath before reassuring and informing the parent of a hurt child. Jullian usually took a moment to wash up and prepare himself before speaking with a family member of a patient. This was different this was his Captian, a man who had lost so much already, a man he followed into battle and who fought for him on a personal and prfessional level. Benjaman leaned in the direction of the doctor. "Jakes alive." Bashir indicated without leaving breath for more. "What happened, how is he, can I see him?" the panic and relief in Siscos voice. They both knew their was more. "Doctor," called a medical technicion, Jullian looked over to the Bajorian doctor who had his hands full with a screaming child who had broken her bone in the impact. The Bajorian looked back at Jullian. "Wait here Jullian motioned to a corner, not the usual area a captian would wait in sick bay but it was full and loud and more people where pouring in with injuries. "I should be commanding my crew." He thought briefly but his thoughts went back to Jake. Sisko looked over at the doorway where Jullian had walked out. It was the operating room their were only 2. Their was no door but a little hallway that turned to keep it closed off. Sisko left his corner and walked over to it. He walked in.
There in the middle of the room lay his son. Covered in a sheet from the chest down. Turned on his side. A large burn like scar on his head. The operating table was still full of tools and the arm attached still was illuminated like it would be during surgary. He was clothed and had his shoes on. His face was salty and sweaty. The raw burn scar and his bloody ear had not been cleaned up yet. Nothing had been cleaned up. The woonds needed dressing and closed the tools still had signs of use and the equiptment was layed out speratically. "Oh son" said the Captian. Sisco walked closer to his son. There was no chair or anything so he just stood and looked at him. He dared not put a hand on him he looked so fragile. Benjaman thought what could have happened. It was not a blast wound more of an impact wound. He would have to wait for Jullian to fill him in.
After what seemed like forever, a nurse wondered in. "Captian" she coughed. "Its alright, is Dr. Bashir coming?" "You shouldn't see him like this, sent men in here to dress his wound and stage him and the room, it has calmed down a lot." "That's good" he thought. Benjaman looked at the nurse with all her supplies ready to clean up the area and cover the head of his son. She dared not ask him to move he was the captian, he could tell she was uncomfortable so he steped to the side of the room. Tenderly she placed a bandage over the scar that was made. She moved his body to be more naturally positioned then gentaly turning down the sheet she removed the top part of his jumper, snapping on a hospital shirt instead, she removed his shoes and changed the rest of him too, folded the clothes and placed them on top of the used instrment tray. Jake looked much better, the room looked less scary. All the time Benjaman stood to the side and watched. The tenderness of the nurse both impressed and worried him.
Keeping a vidgial on his son, in the dimly lit room he thought of Sarah his late wife. Jake had the same smile the same face as her. Jullian walked in, "Captian" "Jullian? " he said in reply. "From what Dr. Kovacs can deduce his head was sucked against the ridge of the forcefeild when power was lost. We have lots of injuries resulting from that but it was sheer bad luck that he was there when that happened. "Jake knows protocall and saftey, head to the interior when alams are sounded." "he was in the O'Brians when it happened." "Damage was extensive, I, I .." Jullian was usually okay at this sort of thing delivering bad news but this was his captian, the man who had risked his neck to keep him in Starfleet. "We have to wait and see if his body heals, I'de like to try and replace some of the dead material in one or two days then we have to see how his body reacts, the blow was to a part that controls body functions, his breathing and heart were stopped everything was stopped we don't know for how long." He kept using the term we he couldn't bear to have his captian place all the responsibility on him he wanted to distance himself from the injury. "Can I sit with him?" was all the captian asked. Sisco asking a question like this was not typical he commanded with authority he did as he pleased and never asked permission. Jullian nodded and left the room, a nurse came in to finish up what her counterpart could not do. She washed and dressed him and brought in a chair. Sisco lovingly touched his sons hand, he couldn't loose him too.
Hours Sisco was still awake on a chair in the room, he was paying attention to every noise around him and watching the ventilator move his sons chest up then down and up again, two men walked in with a gurney. The noise and commotion had died down a lot they looked at Sisco knowing he probably shouldn't be in here and acnolodged him "Sir" then moved the machines onto the table then the boy. Sisco followed them. He was placed in a more hospital like area out of the operation room and onto a bed in the main hallway area of Deep Space Nines Sickbay.
